Football: CU Buffs staff connecting with recruits

Assistants also keeping tabs on current players

Colorado's football team has been without a head coach since Sunday night.

The Buffaloes' assistant coaches have been hard at work, however. Despite their future status being up in the air, CU assistants have been working the recruiting trail all week.

"We all have (been talking to recruits)," defensive coordinator Greg Brown said. "There are many, many guys very interested in Colorado that are going to take their scheduled trips and come see what it's all about.

"We just want to emphasize that we think that it's going in the right direction."

Head coach Jon Embree was fired on Sunday night after going 4-21 in two seasons with the Buffaloes. His entire staff has been retained for the time being. CU's next coach will make decisions on which staff members, if any, to keep.

Defensive coordinator Greg Brown and the rest of the CU staff continues to recruit for the Buffs while awaiting a new head coach.
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Brown said this week has been a little different without Embree, but said, "It's part of the deal."

In more than 30 years of coaching, Brown said he believes this is the eighth time he's been part of a coaching staff that had its head coach fired.

"Nobody goes in with their eyes closed," he said. "Everybody understands what it's all about. Just do the right thing, good things will happen and let the chips fall where they may."

While there has been debate about whether Embree should have been fired or not, Brown and director of player personnel Darian Hagan said they have been impressed with the coaches' focus and professionalism in continuing to do a good job.

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"The mood around here has been good," said Hagan, who is now going through his third head coaching change at CU. "Guys are upbeat, guys are doing their jobs. We're paid to do a job and that's all we can do. We have to put our head downs and stay away from the papers and stay way from all the commotion outside."

In addition to talking to recruits, Brown and Hagan said the staff has been keeping tabs on the current players as they finish up the fall semester.

"You're in it for the kids," Hagan said. "Put them before you and everything that's supposed to work out will work out."

Once news of Embree's firing came out, a few players expressed a desire to leave the program. Hagan said the staff has had conversations with those players, many who just simply want answers.

"In the last couple of days, it's died down," Hagan said of players wanting to leave. "It's not as many guys as before. There's some guys that are still upset, some guys that are still soul-searching. I don't think there's a lot that will happen."

While keeping the players -- current and future -- as the focus, Brown said the coaches' love of CU has played a significant role in their desire to work hard this week.

"Several of the assistants, we've talked and that statement has come up quite a few times, just saying, 'hey, no matter what happens, regardless we don't want to leave Colorado in any worse shape'," Brown said. "We want to get this thing moving forward and that sentiment has been shared throughout the building with the assistants."

Brown said he has no doubt CU will get better in the coming years, regardless of who winds up as the head coach.

"(I believe that) 100 percent," he said. "You don't have to look any further than the young players we have here. A significant number of true freshmen got a lot of playing experience for this age and they're going to be solid guys next year. It's going to help the new coaching staff move forward."

The great unknown for Brown, Hagan and the rest of the staff is whether or not they will have jobs in a week or two. Because of that, many of the coaches have likely spent part of this week exploring other job opportunities.

"You always have your ears to the ground and eyes open, no doubt about it. It's just part of the business," Brown said.

Brown hopes he won't have to find a realtor for his next job. He has strong ties to the state and to CU. He just finished his ninth season at CU (1991-93, 2006-09 and 2011-12). He is a Denver native, graduate of Arvada High School and also spent two seasons coaching the USFL's Denver Gold, in 1983-84.

"Personally, I would love to stay here," he said. "This is a great institution. Besides the University of Colorado being a great school, it's the athletic past and history it's had, particularly in football and all the milestones it has reached. If I'm not (here), it wasn't meant to be. But, I do know this, Boulder is the best place in the country to live, without a doubt, and I know if we're not here, my wife and family would miss it terribly."

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